Air distribution and control system

ABSTRACT

An air distribution system for circulating heated, cooled or otherwise conditioned air between first and second adjacently disposed rooms separated from each other by a partition. The preferred form of system includes one or more forced air blowers disposed in the partition between the rooms for forcing air from the first room into the second room and returning it to the first room in response to the condition of a control device disposed in the second room. Preferably, the blowers are disposed adjacent the top and bottom portions of the partition, temperature conditions in the first room are controlled by a combination heating and air conditioning unit having an associated thermostatic control, and the blowers circulate the treated air in the second room under the control of their own thermostat. The preferred form of blower unit is a unitary assembly having an outer case with a grille on each end, and one or more squirrel cage blowers with an operating motor disposed in the case, which is receivable as a unit within the preformed opening in the partition. Preferably, the unit also includes an electrical plug or connector adapted for engagement with a counterpart electrical socket disposed in the partition upon movement of the unit in the direction of installation.

United States Patent McDonough AIR DISTRIBUTION AND CONTROL SYSTEM [76] Inventor: George A. McDonough, 1501 I-linman Ave., Evanston, Ill. 6020i [22] Filed: Jan. 31, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 222,086

[52] US. Cl 165/27, 98/33, 165/97, 165/122 [51] Int. Cl. F25!) 29/00 [58] Field of Search 165/27, 97, 122; 236/49; 98/33 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,472,148 l0/l969 Winnett 98/33 R Primary Examiner-Charles Sukalo [57] ABSTRACT An air distribution system for circulating heated, cooled or otherwise conditioned air between first and second adjacently disposed rooms separated from [451 Apr. 16, 1974 each other by a partition. The preferred form of system includes one or more forced air blowers disposed in the partition between the rooms for forcing air from the first room into the second room and returning it to the first room in response to the condition of a control device disposed in the second room. Preferably, the blowers are disposed adjacent the top and bottom portions of the partition, temperature conditions in the first room are controlled by a combination heating and air conditioning unit having an associated thermostatic control, and the blowers circulate the treated air in the second room under the control of their own thermostat.

The preferred form of blower unit is a unitary assembly having an outer case with a grille on each end, and one.or more squirrel cage blowers with an operating motor disposed in the case, which is receivable as a unit within the preformed opening in the partition. Preferably, the unit also includes an electrical plug or connector adapted for engagement with a counterpart electrical socket disposed in the partition upon movement of the unit in the direction of installation.

8 Claims, .4 Drawing Figures AIR DISTRIBUTION AND CONTROL SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to the distribution of conditioned air, such as heated or cooled air, and more particularly, to systems for distributing air about within small, multiple-room dwellings, such as apartments or the like. Recently, there has been a trend in small housing units, such as apartment units containing two, three or four rooms, to be provided with individual heating and air conditioning systems so that tenants might control temperature conditions within their own living areas and so that the cost of heating and air conditioning may be allocated and billed directly to the tenant. In the past, such installations have utilized individual heaters and air conditioners in each room of the apartment. Where this was impractical, apartments were often built with only small partitions or with no partitions whatever between rooms in the interest of achieving circulation ofconditioned air within the apartment. Recently, with the advent of improved combination heater and air conditioner units, it has been the prac-' tice to mount the combination heating and air conditioning unit within a preformed opening in an exterior wall instead of within the window opening. Thereupon, the single unit controls temperature and sometimes humidity conditions within the apartment unit.

In the past, individual window air conditioners did not ordinarily have heating units associated with them,

and were often of a type characterized by loud, noisy,

intermittent operation and strong axially directed air flow axially therefrom. Units of this type served to localize flow of the cooling air, create drafts, high temperature differentials within the room, and had other drawbacks. In contrast to these ,units, the modern, through-the-wall type combination heater and air conditioner unit now ordinarily provides quiet and reliable operation and improved air flow patterns. Such units ordinarily utilize one, two or more squirrel cage or centrifugal type blowers, associated diffusion vanes adapted to direct the treated air generally radially of the unit, thereby avoiding the disadvantage of the prior art. As' a result, units of this type are very desirable for use in small apartment dwellings, particularly those in milder climates where the added expense differential of electrical heating is not significant. In addition to the foregoing, improvements have also been made in the noise level and control systems of these units, and as a result, relatively large capacity single units may be desirablyinstalled in manyapartment units.

However, it is quite common for apartments capable of using the combination heating-cooling units of the type in question to include more than a single room, such apartments often including, in addition to a kitchen area in more or less open communication with the principal room such as a living room, one or more bedrooms of reduced size but isolated from the principal or living room by fixed walls or partitions and solid doors. Accordingly, maintaining a combination of privacy and proper air circulation in such a room has generally heretofore been accomplished only by installing a separate air conditioner unit for the secondary rooms, or by providing interior ductwork leading from the air conditioner to and through the partition walls in question. Although the latter type of system is effective to distribute treated or conditioned air throughout such an apartment, it does present a number of disadvantages. First, ductwork is not only expensive,-but takes up valuable space and is generally unsightly. Rooms served by ducts coming from a window or through-thewall type air conditioner are dependent for operation on the operation of the principal unit and accordingly tend to respond only to conditions detected by a thermostat or other control associated with the principal unit. Moreover, the size and shape of the ductwork often limits the location of the air inlets in the second room. In addition, the installation of such systems is often costly, or is impractical for other reasons, such as in those constructions wherein the secondary rooms are directly opposite the air treating unit.

In this connection, it can be seen that although itis often undesirable to put a separate, through-the-wall or window type air conditioner in a secondary room such as a bedroom or the like, this may be impossible if the room does not have an exterior wall, since the heat generated by the air conditioner may not conveniently be vented away.

Although none of the foregoing problems are encountered with buildings utilizing central heating, it has been increasingly common for individual apartment dwellings to be individually heated and cooled rather than heated and cooled from a central source. This is because control of temperature is much simpler when done on the basis of an individual apartment unit or the like. Moreover, in the interest of maximum space utilization and construction economy, it is often desired to do away with the necessity for the large volume required by central air circulation and return ducts and to do away with the expense involved in installing and maintaining liquid circulation systems.

Moreover, the recent common acceptance of individually owned apartments within large buildings made possible by the condominium form of ownership, for example, has created appeal for such a system by those desiring to or being required to pay for and maintain their own heating equipment. Individual ownership of heating and cooling systems does away with the possibility of cost disagreements relating to commonly owned heating systemsl In addition to the foregoing, the matter of'individual control of temperature is often important even to those people who live in buildings wholly owned by others, such as elderly or infirm people. In particular, the th'rough-the-wall electric heater and air conditioner is very appealing in the relatively milder climates referred to above, since the cost of electric heating is not particularly disadvantageous,

while electromechanical air conditioning is fully acceptable.

In addition to the foregoing conditions applicable to the building itself only, where apartments and other dwellings are commonly arranged with different interior room sizes and arrangements, heating and air conditioning distributors have been forced to inventory a large variety of units so that an appropriate size unit could be provided for each size of room likely to be encountered, rather than merely having to maintain a variety of sizes indicative of overall apartment size. The

.need to maintain a large inventory is a serious drawculating heated and cooled air, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system which includes means for treating air in a single, principal room, and which also includes separately controllable means for circulating air between the principal room and a second or subsidiary room and operable in response to temperature or other conditions only in the second room.

Another object is to provide a system which makes it possible to supply heated or cooled air from a single unit to a first room under a first control, and to circulate the air from such room into one or more second or subsidiary rooms independently of temperature or other conditions existing in the principal room.

Another object is to provide an air treating and circulation system wherein one or more auxiliary or secondary rooms are disposed adjacent a room containing a heater or air conditioner and separated therefrom by a partition which includes an individually controllable blower or other air circulation system mounted therein.

Anotherobject is to provide an air circulation system which is capable of providing outstanding performance at low cost.

A further object is to provide an air control or circulating system providing for individual control of temperature in two spaced apart rooms, only one of which requires separate individual means for heating or cooling air to be treated.

A still further object is to provide an air control system permitting independentcontrol of air temperature within a pair of adjacently disposed rooms, and which is characterized by simplicity and very low cost.

Still another object is to provide an air flow control systen' which is particularly advantageous for use in rooms having the air therein treated by radial flow or diffused flow type combination heater and air conditioner units.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a blower unit which is capable of installation within a wall or partition with a minimum of difficulty and expense.

rality of individually heated and cooled rooms but' which requires only single heating and air conditioning means in one of the rooms.

Another object is to provide a system for circulating air between adjacent rooms, and in which circulation may be achieved by the use of one or more blower units in the partition between the rooms.

Another object is to provide a system which inherently reduces cost by utilizing a single combination heater and air conditioner unit within one room and uses auxiliary means for distributing air therefrom throughout one or more individual rooms, all in response to temperature or other, conditions within the other room.

Another object is to provide a combination air blower and controlsystem adapted for ready installation within an opening in a partition separating a room having an air heater and cooler from an adjacent room not having its own heating and cooling means.

Another object is to provide a blower unit of this type which, is operable in response to a control located within the room without air treatment means.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention, including those inherent therein, are

achieved by providing an air distribution system which includes means disposed in a partition dividing first and second rooms from each other for forcing air into the second room in response to the condition of a control disposed in the second room, and means in the first room to condition the air therein in response to the condition of a control unit located in the first room. Accordingly, the condition of air in the first room may be controlled by proper adjustment of the control in the first room, and temperature conditions in the second room may be made substantially to duplicate temperature conditions in the first room by actuating the control in the second room, all without the provision of separate conditioning means being provided for the second room, and without affecting temperature conditions in'the first room.

The manner in which these objects and advantages are achieved in-practice will become more clearly apparent when reference is made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the inven tion set forth by-way of example and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a pair of adjacently disposed rooms between which air is distributed according to the invention and showing the rooms to be separated by a wall or like partition containing a pair of blower-assemblies and showing aconditioned air source in one of the rooms;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view show- I ing a conditioner for cooling or heating air and distributing it in a diffused pattern within one of the rooms shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view through one of the walls shown in FIG. 1 and showing certain features of the blower units forming a part of the air distribution system of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of one of the blower units used in the air distribution system of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Although it will be understood that the air distribution system of the invention might be embodied in different forms, and might be used exclusively with heated air or cooled air, a description thereof will be made with reference to a system adapted for use within a dwelling having at least two rooms, means associated with one of the rooms for heating or cooling air therein, and wherein means are provided in the partition between the rooms for circulating air from the first or principal room into the second or subsidiary room under control of a blower system operative in response to conditions in the second room only.

Referring now to the drawings, in greater detail, FIG. 1 shows a first or principal room generally designated 12 and a second or subsidiary room generally designated 14 to be separated by a vertically extending wall 16 disposed between rooms'and serving, in combination with a door 18, to close off or isolate the rooms 12, l4 from each other. The first room 12 includes means in the form of a combination heater and air conditioner unit 20 for treating the air therein, the unit 20'being a type having a diffused flow pattern as shown by the arrows.

A thermostat unit 22 is operatively associated, as by a connection shown in phantom line 24, with the treating unit and accordingly, it will operate the unit 20 in a customary manner, energizing the heating elements or the cooling coils from time to time, when the temperature drops outside a predetermined range as determined by the setting on the thermostat or control 22.

Disposed within the wall 16 are means in the form of a blower assembly 26 for forcing air from the first room 12 through the partition 16 and into the second room 14, and a second blower unit generally designated 28 for causing return of air from the second room 14 to the first room 12. A control for actuating one or both of the blower assemblies 28 is disposed within the second room 14 and controls the operation of the units 26, 28 entirely independently of the operation of the treating unit 20 which is under the sole control of the thermostat 22.

Accordingly, the invention is normally carried into practice by disposing one or more blowers 26 in a wall 16, and if desired, one or more air return blowers 28 in a lower part of the wall 16, and moving the two individual control units, such as the thermostats 22, 30 to desired settings. Thereupon, the treating unit 20 will operate under the influence of its associated control to attempt to maintain certain conditions of air temperature within the room 12. However, if by way of example, cool air is being produced and circulated by the unit 20, this unit will operate until air in the vicinity of the thermostat 22 is at a suitably reduced temperature. In the event the room 14, which is separated from room 12 by the wall 16 is warmer than desired, as indicated by the setting on the thermostatic control 30, the blower 26 will be actuated, thusserving to remove cool or conditioned air from the room 12 and force such air into the second room 14. The blower 26 will continue to operate until the thermostat 30 indicates that the desired degree of temperature reduction has been achieved in the room 14.

The forced air units 26, 28 do not in and of themselves produce air which is heated or cooled in'respect to ambient air, but serve only to transport the air from one room to another. However, it is apparent that if the conditioned air from the unit 20in the room 12 is circulated at least in part by the blowers 26, 28 into the adjacent room 14, this air will not reach the shut off temperature for the control 22 as soon as it might if the blowers 26, 28 were not operated. Accordingly, the blowers 26, 28 may be operated on a demand basis, depending upon the set condition of the thermostatic con trol 30 and may cause the air in the room 14 to take on substantially the same conditions as characterize the air in the first room 12. If the heating or cooling capacity of the unit 20 is not desired to be used in treating the air in the room 14, the blower units 26', 28 may be inactivated merely by changing the setting of the thermostat 30. In the case wherein the air treatment unit 20 is used to heat the air, the same conditions prevail as described above, except that the unit 20 seeks to bring about movement of the air temperature in an opposite direction within the rooms l2, l4.

From the foregoing description of the mode of operation of the unit, it will be noted that the'return blower unit 28 might be dispensed with if gravity or convection flow were used to produce return air circulation, of if the door 18 were kept open to provide this function. As will be detailed elsewhere herein, the blower units 26, 28 are shown to blow air in the directions shown in FIG. 1, and accordingly this system might be preferred for a heating cycle, since warmer air would readily flow into the room 14 near the top thereof and cooled air would return from the room 14 near the bottom thereof. However, in practice, this form of forced air circulation is also appropriate for air conditioning. Nevertheless, it is also considered within the scope of the invention to have the lower unit 26 provide air flow in both directions, or to reverse the units from top to bottom, or to reverse them in relation to the positions shown, if indicated by conditions within the rooms.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a somewhat more detailed view of an air treatment unit in the form of the combination heater and air conditioner unit 20 and suitable for use with the invention is shown. Such a unit customarily includes an outer frame 32 in which are received a control assembly 34 having an array of push buttons or the like disposed on a control panel 36, electrical resistance heating coils 38, a plurality of diffuser vanes adapted to distribute air throughout a considerable radial area, considered with the unit 20 viewed in front elevation, a pair of squirrel cage type centrifugal air circulation blowers 42 actuated by a central electric motor 44 turning a pair of opposed shafts 46.

The center portions 48 of the blowers 42 receive air taken from a chamber 50 served by a separate fan 52 which may receive conditioned air from an evaporator 54 or which may receive itmerely from the outside of the building or from the interior of the room 12, or both, depending upon which control in the panel 36 is actuated. Such a unit 20, although advantageously used with the present invention by reason of its versatility, and because of its silence and diffused air flow pattern, does not form a part of the invention which is novel per se, and is of a type whichis commercially available from various suppliers including Fedders Corporation of Edison, New Jersey, from Mueller Climatrol Corporation of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, or elsewhere.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, one important feature of the invention is the blower assembly 26 which is received in the wall or partition 16. In the preferred form, the assembly 26 includes a grille or grating 56 facing the first room 12 and an oppositely disposed grille or grating 58 facing the second room 14. An exterior, generally rectangular housing 60 surrounds a pair of squirrel cage centrifugal blowers 62 on the exterior, to define a working chamber 64 in the area of the blower. An electric motor 66 operating a shaft 68 to drive the blowers 62 is positioned therebetween and is operated by current supplied through an electrically conductive line 70 under the control of the thermostat 30. As is well known, the blowers 62 receive air through a reduced diameter opening 72 in one or both of the side walls thereof, and force this air through the outlet opening 74. Such a unit is capable of providing relatively great air flow with minimal current usage,

and, very importantly, minimum noise and of relatively uniform outlet velocity.

In the preferred form of unit shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper blower assembly 26 also includes an electrical plug 76 disposed in a lower support housing 78 thereof and having one or more prongs 80 adapted to be received in a position of registration within a receptacle 82 disposed in an offset portion 84 of the wall 16. It will be noted that in FIG. 3, it is shown that the electrical current for operating the motor passes from a switch or relay 86 through a line 88 to the receptacle 82, under the control of the thermostat 30, while FIG. 4 shows a' simplified schematic arrangement in which the line 70 extends directly from the control 30 to the motor 66. The latter arrangement might be used with a so-called line voltage thermostat, while the arrangement of FIG. 3, wherein the thermostat output voltage is used for control purposes only, is more conventional and is often preferred.

Referring again to FIG. 3, it is shown that the lower blower unit 28 is of essentially the same construction as the upper blower unit 28, and accordingly, includes the grilles or registers 56a, 580, the blower unit 62a having an outlet 74a, all disposed within a housing 60a. Such a blower assembly 28 might also include the direct plug-in arrangement shown to form a part of the blower unit 26, but need not have this feature. As pointed out above, it will also be possible to omit one or the other of the blower assemblies 26, 28, and probetween rooms were provided, no second opening of the type occupied by the lower blower 28 would be necessary.

In the form illustrated, a single air treating unit was shown within one principal room referred to as a first room 12, and one subsidiary or second room 14 was shown to be separated therefrom by a wall 16 containing the air distribution or blower units 26, 28. It will be understood, however, in keeping with theprinciples of the invention, that one or more blower units 26, 28 might also be provided for each of one or more additional rooms not containing an air treating unit 20.

As pointed out above, it'has been discovered that an arrangement of the type described is extremely advantageous in providing a combination of privacy in a second room,.reduced initial purchasing and installation expense arising from the fact that a single, large capacity unit can normally be used in one room only and may be obtained for less money than could individual, smaller heating and/or cooling units, and that greater freedom in individual room layout and design may be achieved by use of the present invention. Moreover, dealers and distributors of such' units may carry a greatly reduced inventory of various sizes of units.

In addition, the foregoing arrangement provides the advantage of permitting the individual to condition or not condition the air in the adjacent or second room as he desires. All of the foregoing can be achieved in apartments or like dwellings wherein the individual occupant may control the temperature in his own apartment unit. The arrangement described in very simple and convenient to install, is very simple to operate, is very economical, and may be installed in a simple manner without detracting from the esthetics of the interior of the apartment or like dwelling'Ease of installation is also facilitated by the provision of the novel plug-in arrangement for the blower assembly 26.

'It will thus be seen that the present invention provides a novel and useful air distribution and control system having a number of advantages and characteristics, including those pointed out therein and others which are inherent in the invention. A preferred form of system, and several variations thereof having been described in detail by way of-example only, it will be apparent that a number of modifications and changes thereto may occur to those skilled in the art and it is anticipated that such changes might be made without de- Y to air conditions in said second room, means for treating air in said first room, and a control means for said air treating means disposed in said first room which is operable in response to conditions detected in said first room, said control means in said second room being operable independently of said control means in said first room. 1

2. An air distribution and control system as defined in claim 1 which also includes means for returning said treated air to-said first room which is operated by the control means in said second room.

3. An air distribution and control system as defined in claim 1 which also includes means for forcibly returning said treated air from said second room to said first room which is operated by said control means in said second room.

4. An air distribution and control system as defined in claim 3 wherein said means for forcing said air from said first room into said second room and forcibly returning air from said second room to said first room includes a blower assembly received within an opening in a portion of said partition.

5. A system for controlling the temperatures within a pair of adjacently disposed rooms separated from each other by a partition, said system including means for heating and cooling the air in said first room, control means responsive to temperature conditions within said first room for operating said heating and cooling means upon detection of a predetermined temperature difference between a desired temperature level in said room and the actual temperature therein,.a forced air blower system associated with said partition and adapted to receive air from said first room and force said air into said second room, second control means responsive to the temperature in said second room for controlling the operation of said forced air means, said second control means being operable independently of said first control means, whereby, upon detection of a difference between the temperature desired in said second room and the actual temperature therein, said forced air meansis actuated to draw air from said first room to said second room.

6. A system as defined in claim 5 wherein means is also provided for forcibly returning air to said first room, said means being also actuable only in response to said second control unit.

7. A system as defined in claim 5 wherein said means 1 for forcing air between said first and second rooms includes a blower assembly having a centrifugally acting blower and drive means therefor disposed within an open-ended sleeve received in said partition. I

8. In a building structure, in combination, first and second rooms separated from each other by a partition, a combination heating and air conditioning unit disposed in said first room and adapted to supply conditioned air thereto, a thermostatic control unit in said first room operatively associated with said conditioner for air therein, first and second openings within said partition wall, oppositely directed blower units and asmined temperature level in said second room. 

1. An air distribution and control system for distributing treated air between first and second adjacent rooms separated from each other by a partition, said system including means for forcing air from said first room into said second room, a control means disposed in said second room for operating said means for forcing air from said first room into said second room which control means may be set to respond according to air conditions in said second room, means for treating air in said first room, and a control means for said air treating means disposed in said first room which is operable in response to conditions detected in said first room, said control means in said second room being operable independently of said control means in said first room.
 2. An air distribution and control system as defined in claim 1 which also includes means for returning said treated air to said first room which is operated by the control means in said second room.
 3. An air distribution and control system as defined in claim 1 which also includes means for forcibly returning said treated air from said second room to said first room which is operated by said control means in said second room.
 4. An air distribution and control system as defined in claim 3 wherein said means for forcing said air from said first room into said second room and forcibly returning air from said second room to said first room includes a blower assembly received within an opening in a portion of said partition.
 5. A system for controlling the temperatures within a pair of adjacently disposed rooms separated from each other by a partition, said system including means for heating and cooling the air in said first room, control means responsive to temperature conditions within said first room for operating said heating and cooling means upon detection of a predetermined temperature difference between a desired temperature level in said room and the acTual temperature therein, a forced air blower system associated with said partition and adapted to receive air from said first room and force said air into said second room, second control means responsive to the temperature in said second room for controlling the operation of said forced air means, said second control means being operable independently of said first control means, whereby, upon detection of a difference between the temperature desired in said second room and the actual temperature therein, said forced air means is actuated to draw air from said first room to said second room.
 6. A system as defined in claim 5 wherein means is also provided for forcibly returning air to said first room, said means being also actuable only in response to said second control unit.
 7. A system as defined in claim 5 wherein said means for forcing air between said first and second rooms includes a blower assembly having a centrifugally acting blower and drive means therefor disposed within an open-ended sleeve received in said partition.
 8. In a building structure, in combination, first and second rooms separated from each other by a partition, a combination heating and air conditioning unit disposed in said first room and adapted to supply conditioned air thereto, a thermostatic control unit in said first room operatively associated with said conditioner for air therein, first and second openings within said partition wall, oppositely directed blower units and associated motors disposed within each of said openings, a second thermostatic control unit for said second blower disposed in said second room, said second control unit being temperature responsive and adapted to actuate said blowers only in response to a predetermined temperature level in said second room. 